Indianapolis is a city of monuments. From the Soldier and Sailors Monument in the center of the city to wayside markers commemorating some person or event, Indianapolis remembers. Many of the markers scattered about Indianapolis were erected by the Indiana Historical Bureau. To date, more than one hundred of these distinctive free-standing historical markers, made of cast aluminum with raised gold lettering against a dark blue enamel background with an outline map of Indiana at the top, have been set-up throughout Marion County.
In 1946 the Indiana Historical Bureau ordered a dozen historic markers commemorating events in the state’s history. Placed at various sites around the state, one of these markers was placed in Indianapolis at the east entrance of the Statehouse to commemorate the State Capitol. Also at the east entrance is a marker that was placed in 1964 for the state’s Civil War arsenal. A visit to this site can lead you to other nearby markers on the capitol complex grounds for the Lincoln Funeral Train and Indiana Woman’s Suffrage on the south lawn of the Statehouse; Lincoln to the Citizens of Indiana, at 402 W. Washington St, commemorates President-elect Abraham Lincoln’s speech to the citizenry as he stopped in the city on his way to Washington, DC; and the 1907 Eugenics Law, east lawn of the Indiana State Library, 140 N. Senate Ave., recalls an infamous enactment of the Indiana legislature.
Elsewhere in the center of the city, Indiana Historical Bureau markers memorialize Civil War sites like Camp Morton (1900 block of N. Alabama St.) and the 28th Regiment, U. S. Colored Troops who trained at Camp Fremont near the southwest corner of Virginia Ave. and McCarty St. Neighborhoods are also recognized with markers for Woodruff Place (Middle and Cross drives), Indiana Avenue (southeast corner West St, and Indiana Ave.), the Old Northside (12th and Delaware streets), and Ransom Place (706 W. St. Clair St.). Individual men and women such as suffragist Zerelda Wallace, civic leader Calvin Fletcher, African-American cycling champion Major Taylor, and social reformer Rep. Roberta West Nicholson are also celebrated with markers.
While most of the historical markers may be found in Center Township, the Indiana Sons of the American Revolution worked with the historical bureau to erect a marker in 1958 commemorating Revolutionary War patriot Dr. Joseph Warren for whom Warren Township was named. Located on the grounds of then-Warren Central High School near 10th St. and Post Rd., the marker has now disappeared. Elsewhere in Warren Township, a cluster of markers are located at Irvington. In 1984, the family of artist William Forsyth erected a marker near the site of his home at E. Washington St. and Emerson Ave. and twenty years later, the Girl Scouts of Hoosier Capital Council commemorated the founding of Indianapolis Troop 1 with a marker on the grounds of Irvington Presbyterian Church. Three years ago, Jackie Swihart and Friends of Grace Julian Clarke placed a marker in front of the home of suffragist and political activist Grace Julian Clarke, 115 S. Audubon Rd., and in 2022 the centennial of Sigma Gamma Rho, the only black sorority not founded at an historically black college, was commemorated with a marker on the lawn of the Bona Thompson Center, Butler University’s former library.
Other places and persons commemorated with a state marker can be found in Wayne Township. The Indiana Historical Society in conjunction with the Washington High School Junto Club placed a marker on the lawn of George Washington High School in 1960 honoring Gen. Anthony Wayne, a hero of the American Revolution, for whom Wayne Township is named. Commemorative markers in the town of Speedway include the Allison Machine Shop (1200 N. Main St.), the World War I Aviation Repair Depot (1100 N. Main St.), and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (in front of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum). A commemorative marker in Washington Township, erected in 1961 by the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of Indiana, stands in front of the Michigan Road Toll House (4702 N. Michigan Rd.) and the Indiana Sesquicentennial Commission placed a marker at Illinois St. and Westfield Blvd. in 1966 commemorating the Central Canal. Hoosier novelist Booth Tarkington was remembered in 2020 with a marker in front of his former home, 4270 N. Meridian St. On the south side of the county in Perry Township, the Indianapolis Gardeners Benefit Society, the Marion County Greenhouse Growers Association, and the Indianapolis Vegetable Growers Association in 1998 memorialized the area that was one of the “largest concentrations of winter tomato and lettuce production under glass” in the United States with the German Greenhouses and Truck Gardens marker in Bluff Park, Bluff Rd. and W. Hanna Ave. Pioneer poet Sarah Bolton, author of “Paddle Your Own Canoe,” is memorialized with a marker in Beech Grove’s Sarah Bolton Park along Mann Dr.
Instead of whizzing down a roadway and wondering what the signage you just passed was all about, go to the Indiana Historical Bureau web site (www.in.gov/history/state-historical-markers/find-a-marker/find-historical-markers-by-county/indiana-historical-markers-by-county) to find the location of markers in Marion County. Then schedule a time for a brief outing to visit the site of one of these markers. It’s an easy way to see various parts of the city and learn about an important person or event that helped shape the community in which we live. It is also a simple educational opportunity for children.
While Marion County in its entirety is well represented with historical markers, Decatur, Franklin, and Pike townships have no markers. Also, with the loss of the Fort Benjamin Harrison marker, Lawrence Township now is not represented. Within these townships, there are places, events, and persons of statewide or national significance worthy of memorialization. An individual or an organization can find information on how to apply for the 2024-25 Indiana State Historical Marker Program at www.in.gov/history/state-historical-markers/apply-for-a-marker. Although the cost of the marker has increased from $76 (2022: $1,171) in 1946 to $3,300 today, the historical bureau may have a future grant to help defer some of the costs. Currently Jay County is the only county without an Indiana State Historical Marker and the Historical Bureau would be thrilled if someone or some group could help fill this void.
